Writing an Essay for an A.P. Psychology Test

• Carefully read the question to be sure you answering what they ask for.

• Plan out what you are going to write. Write some quick notes to yourself for each bullet to keep you on track.

• Do NOT write an introduction or conclusion.• Do write in complete sentences using good

spelling and grammar.• Do indent your paragraphs and write a new

paragraph for each bullet you are answering.

1992 Question 1

Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are different learning methods.

Their differences lie in

A. the extent to which reinforcement depends on the behavior of the learner;B. the type of behavior to which each method applies

Their similarities are that they both produce the following basic phenomena.

A. AcquisitionB. ExtinctionC. Spontaneous recoveryD. GeneralizationE. Discrimination

Describe these differences and similarities, giving examples to illustrate your answer.

1992 Question 2

Briefly discuss the causes(s) and treatment(s) of depression from the perspective of each of the following psychological approaches.

A. Psychodynamic/psychoanalyticalB. Biological/medicalC. Cognitive

1993 Question 1

Design and describe an experiment to measure the relationship between rehearsal/repetition of a list of words and later recall of that same list of words. In your answer you should formulate a hypothesis and include a description of each of the following.

A. PopulationB. Subject selectionC. Independent variableD. Dependent variableE. Experimental groupF. Control groupG. Potential confounding variableH. A method of reducing experimenter bias

1993 Question 2

Describe the therapeutic procedure called systematic desensitization. Select a specific disorder for which this therapy is effective and explain how the basic phenomena listed below play a part in successful treatment.

A. Anxiety hierarchyB. RelaxationC. GeneralizationD. Extinction

1994 Question 1

Design an experiment to determine whether a new drug that is supposed to reduce hyperactivity in children actually does. Your essay should include an identification and description of all of the components of your experimental design, including sampling, independent and dependent variables, controls, and the method that you would employ to evaluate the outcome.

1994 Question 2

One of the most useful generalizations in psychology is that “behavior is adaptive.” Explain this generalization and then identify each of the following and describe how each could be adaptive.

A. Repression B. Conformity C. Imprinting D. Displaced aggressionE. Loss of information from short-term memory

1995 Question 1

Compare and contrast the experimental method and the survey method in terms of their suitability for investigating the hypothesis that frustration leads to aggressive behavior.

In comparing and contrasting the two methods, be sure to identify and discuss each of the following.

A. Independent variableB. Dependent variableC. ControlD. Experimenter and response biasE. Ethical issues

1995 Question 2

Define each of the following concepts and explain how each contributes to the phenomenon of prejudice.

A. StereotypingB. Self–fulfilling prophecyC. Fundamental attribution errorD. ProjectionE. Schema

1996 Question 1

Discuss how social and biological factors have an impact on each of the following in the individual.

A. Body weightB. PerceptionC. AlcoholismD. ExtraversionE. Schizophrenia

1996 Question 2

Professor Jackson believes that frustration increases the need for achievement. She decides to test her hypothesis with her introductory psychology class of about 100 students. The first 50 students who arrive for class one day are taken to a separate room and given a series of easy puzzles to complete. Professor Jackson then asks each student about his or her professional goals. She rates the statement of each on a 7–point scale for strength of achievement motivation.

When they arrive, the remaining students are taken to another room and given a series of difficult puzzles by Professor Jackson’s teaching assistant, Jim. Jim also asks each student about his or her professional goals and, like Professor Jackson, then rates the statement of each on a 7–point scale.

1996 Question 2 (continued)

The group given the difficult puzzles has, on the average, higher achievement motivation scores than the group given the easy puzzles. Professor Jackson concludes that her hypothesis is supported.

Show how each of the following aspects of Professor Jackson’s experimental design is flawed. Indicate how you would correct each problem.

A. SamplingB. Assignment of participantsC. Dependent variableD. Control for experimenter biasE. Control of confounding variables (You need cite only one.)

1997 Question 1

Many people are concerned about the effects of the use of physical punishment to modify the undesirable behavior of children.

A. Basing your answer on psychological knowledge, apply each of the following in an argument against the physical use of punishment.

ModelingClassical conditioning of fearDisplacement

B. How would psychologists use the following processes to modify children’s undesirable behavior?

Positive reinforcementExtinction

1997 Question 2

Although personality is generally consistent throughout the life span, some people exhibit major personality changes.

A. How do each of the following help to explain BOTH continuity and change in personality?

Biological factorsLearning factorsSituational factorsCognitive factors

B. How would any TWO of the above interact to produce change in the trait of shyness?

1998 Question 1

Read the following abstract of a student research project on bystander intervention and then answer the questions that follow.

The ten participants in the study were unaware of its purpose. The first five who signed up to be tested were assigned to the Alone condition and the next five were assigned to the With Others condition. The Alone condition was run in the morning and the With Others condition in the afternoon.

In the Alone condition, each of the five participants was asked to wait alone in a room. While the participant waited, a female voice in the next room screamed out, asking for help. In the With Others condition, each one of the five participants was

1998 Question 1 (continued)

asked to wait in a room with several confederates of the researcher. During this waiting period, a male voice in the next room screamed out, asking for help.

In each condition, the percentage of participants who responded to the cry for help was recorded.

A. Identify the independent and dependent variables in this study.B. Identify four flaws in the design of this study and the recommendations you would make to correct these flaws.C. Discuss an ethical issue raised by the design of this study.D. Use your knowledge of research in social psychology to describe the likely results of this study if correct methodology had been used.

1998 Question 2

A. Describe fully the distinctive emphasis of the cognitive approach to human behavior and mental processes. In your essay, be sure to specify how the cognitive approach differs from the following psychological approaches.

Psychodynamic/psychoanalyticBehavioral Biological

B. Give an example of the contribution of cognitive therapy to the understanding of each of the following

Memory Depression

1999 Question 1

A. Describe the role of each of the following mechanisms in determining an individual’s eating habits and body weight.

Biological Mechanisms Learning Mechanisms

Body or brain chemistry ReinforcementBrain structure ModelingGenetics Cultural factors

B. Select one biological and one learning mechanism and discuss the implications of each for weight management.

1999 Question 2

In a study, researchers use a photograph taken in a public park to examine how people perceive, learn, and remember information. In the photograph, a woman is standing near a man who is seated on a park bench. The woman appears to be shouting at the man.

Participants in the study are exposed to the photograph for ten seconds and then are shown, each for ten seconds, several other photographs of people interacting. When all the photographs have been shown, the participants are asked about what they saw in the “public park” photograph. A significant number of participants describe the man as being the aggressor in an apparent disagreement with the woman.

1999 Question 2

Describe how each of the following concepts helps explain the perception of these participants. Be sure to begin by defining each concept in psychological terms.

schema retroactive interference representativeness heuristic confirmation bias

framing

2000 Question 1

Your high school is proposing moving to a system in which grades are no longer given or used to evaluate student progress.

Define each of the following concepts and state how each might either positively or negatively change student behavior under such a system.

a. Extrinsic motivation b. Arousal theory (Yerkes-Dodson Law) c. Learned helplessness d. Self-fulfilling prophecy

2000 Question 2

The police chief of New City publicly states that she sees a direct relationship between teenage arrests in New City for violent crimes and the popularity among New City teens of especially violent television shows.

A. Design a correlational study to research this claimed relationship, being sure to address how each of the following design elements would apply to your study.

--operational definition of variables--selection of participants--generalizability--two ethical considerations

B. The police chief concludes that watching violent television shows leads to teens’ committing violent crimes in New City. Do you support her conclusion? Explain your response.

2001 Question 1

a. Discuss the cause of anxiety from each of the following perspectives.

• Behavioral• Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic• Biological• Cognitive

b. Discuss a specific treatment technique for reducing anxiety used by professionals representing each of the four perspectives.

2001 Question 2

Describe the psychological concept of expectancy or set. Discuss a specific example of how expectancy or set affects each of the following.

• Human perception• The effects of a psychoactive drug on a human• A student’s performance in the classroom• Memory

2002 Question 1

The human organism displays various reactions that are characterized by opposing tendencies. Use a specific physiological or psychological mechanism to explain how both aspects of opposing processes apply to EACH of the following.

• Appetite• Autonomic nervous system• Color vision• Drug use• Nerve firing

2002 Question 2

Five-year-old Jessie went to a fire station with her kindergarten class. When she got home, Jessie, who is in the preoperational stage of cognitive development, eagerly told the story of her adventure to her older brother. Describe how the following factors might have influenced the story she told. Be sure to define and provide an appropriate example of EACH factor.

• Egocentrism• Observational learning• Overregularization or overgeneralization in language• Reconstructive memory• Schema

2003 Question 1

A. Statistics are often used to describe and interpret the results of intelligence testing.

• Describe three measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode).• Describe a skewed distribution.• Relate the three measures of central tendency to a normal distribution.• An intelligence test for which the scores are normally distributed has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. Use this information to describe how the scores are distributed.• In two normal distributions, the means are 100 for group I and 115 for group II. Can an individual in group I have a higher score than the mean score for group II? Explain.

2003 Question 1 (continued)

B. Apply knowledge of psychological research in answering the following questions about intelligence test scores.

• Explain why norms for standardized tests are periodically updated.• Describe how to determine whether an intelligence test is biased.

2003 Question 2

A. Define the following psychological concepts.

• Cognitive dissonance• Conformity• Incentive motivation• Negative reinforcement• Physiological addiction

B. Use one specific example for each of the concepts in part A to explain how the concept might relate to either the development of or the continuation of a smoking habit. It is not necessary to use the same example for each concept.

2004 Question 1Dr. Franklin investigated the relationship between stress and physical illness. She persuaded a high school principal to require all female athletes in the school to participate in her study. She explained the purpose of her research to the athletes and asked them to use a standard form to rate the severity of their stress over the last six months. More than 250 athletes completed the form. Then Dr. Franklin analyzed the forms returned by the first 100 athletes. She requested the attendance records from the nurse’s office for each of those athletes to verify the number of days absent due to illness during the same six-month period. In the debriefing summary that Dr. Franklin sent to the 100 athletes after she completed the study, she stated that athletes who reported more stress also experienced more frequent illness. Dr. Franklin concluded stress causes physical illness.

2004 Question 1

• Identify the research method used by Dr. Franklin.• Describe the operational definitions of the TWO key variables that Dr. Franklin used in the study.• Based on the information provided, describe ONE appropriate and ONE inappropriate ethical feature of the study.• Identify ONE statistical technique that Dr. Franklin could use to represent the relationship between the variables in the study.• Describe TWO aspects of research design that weaken the validity of Dr. Franklin’s conclusion that stress causes physical illness.

2004 Question 2

Time is an important variable in many psychological concepts. Describe a specific example that clearly demonstrates an understanding of each of the following concepts and how it relates to or is affected by time. Use a different example for each concept

• Critical period• Fluid intelligence• Group polarization• James-Lange theory of emotion• Presentation of the conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (UCS) in classical conditioning• Refractory period in neural firing• Sound localization• Spontaneous recovery

2005 Question 1

Describe a specific example that clearly demonstrates an understanding of how each of the following concepts can lead to an inaccurate perception, cognition, or conclusion. Each example must include an explanation of the relationship between the concept and the inaccuracy.

• Afterimage effect• Availability heuristic• Ethnocentrism• Groupthink• Lack of object permanence• Nonrandom assignment of research participants• Optimistic explanatory style• Proactive interference

2005 Question 2

Psychologists conduct research to investigate controversial issues. Consider the following:

• The value of diagnostic labeling• Children’s acquisition of language• Explanations of hypnosis

A. Describe the opposing points of view on each of the psychological issues listed above. Your description must provide one argument on each side of the controversy.

B. For each issue, choose one point of view to support. Using evidence from psychological research to justify you why think this point of view is correct.